Against all odds
by Khalthar
Summary: Throughout her life, Thwei-guan has struggled to overcome one form of adversity after another. Raised in an orphanage with no clan to support her, she persevered, but through it all she wanted the one thing she was born without... a clan. Then, she finally gets her chance, but will friendship prove to be more important?
1. Chapter 1

Against all odds.

The ship was old. _Very old_. But then Thwei-guan had known that when she'd acquired it. Old, decrepit, used, and abused by many clans before she'd managed to gain ownership of it, but none of that mattered now. It was hers, and she was extremely proud of it. At a mere sixty-one years of age, not only was she a Blooded Warrior, but she now had a ship of her own. It was a pair of achievements that should have been impossible for her to attain.

She knew that she hadn't been provided with the same advantages that most Yautja had. Her bearer had been cast out of her clan for mating with an unblooded male and becoming pregnant as a result of that mating. After leaving her in the community crèche, her bearer had been forced to go on a hunt to provide for her. It was on that hunt that her bearer had vanished, and was presumed dead. The end result was that Thwei-guan had been raised in the community crèche as an orphan by the priests and priestess' of Paya.

Although many were blooded, none of the priests or priestess' had anything exceptional by way of training, and thus what little training they could provide was truly substandard. Thwei-guan had known from an early age that none of the Elders who served in the community crèche thought that she would ever become a Blooded Hunter. There were simply too many disadvantages stacked against her. But she had been determined to make something of herself. She had fought long and hard to learn everything that those Elders were willing to teach her. Then, she had allowed herself to suffer a severe form of humiliation. Knowing that she would never be able to afford a proper set of awu'asa, she had hired herself out as a living punching bag to be used as a practice opponent for those clans who could afford to provide proper training and opponents for their unblooded warriors.

There was one advantage that she had going for her, as she hired herself out as a training opponent. The advantage was that she was a female. Being larger, and stronger than the males she was training against, made her a favorable and desired training opponent. Few if any other females would ever stoop to such a level, but she had little choice if she wanted to improve her lot in life. She knew that hiring herself out in such a fashion was only a single step above that of a female who had been crippled, and unable to enter the community crèche for some reason. The only other option was an extremely rare means of survival employed by one who could only support herself by hiring her body out for the purpose of fruitless breeding. She knew that though such means of survival was not considered respectable in the least, it was not punishable. Still, there was no way that she would allow herself to sink to such a level. She would rather be beaten to within a nok of her life by every unblood on the planet first.

Each night, she had returned to the community crèche battered, bloodied, and beaten, but still she kept on. The credit that she earned from doing such things went towards her first set of armor, and still she continued. She persevered because as much as she was quite often deliberately humiliated by the unblooded warriors that she fought against, she was also learning from them. Each beating, each humiliation, and each defeat became another valuably learned lesson in her self-made school of very hard knocks.

Upon finally attaining enough credit to acquire a used and battered set of armor and weapons, she decided that she was ready for her Chiva. She knew that she was still very young, but she had no choice in the matter. In her mind it was a case of now or never. She had no clan to sponsor her, no clan Elder to provide any encouragement or last minute advice, and she had to endure the numerous snide remarks and snickering comments from the other candidates in silence as she mentally prepared herself for the trial. It hadn't been easy. Each of the other candidates taking their Chiva had partnered with another candidate from their own clan, and sometimes even with a candidate from another clan. Each of the others had therefore had someone to watch their back, while she was forced to face hers alone. Dire threats from the more muscular males who were older than she was, made certain that she was alone when she ran into no less than a dozen of the Hard Meat drones. With used and improper weaponry, she had fought her way through them on pure luck, staunch determination, and sheer will. But she had not emerged unscathed. Bruised, battered, broken, bleeding, and nearly dead, she had returned to the ship with three skulls, eleven tail blades, and scores of long deadly teeth. After the battle, she had placed upon her mask the symbol of a Blooded Warrior, but without a clan affiliation, she could not in honor, mark her forehead.

In spite of numerous injections of healing gel, she had still spent two weeks in the medbay of the ship before she was strong enough to leave under her own strength. Then there was the ceremony in which warriors would receive the bead of prowess that proclaimed them to be a Blooded Warrior. The beads awaited them on a podium. Behind that podium waited the various Elders, and in one case, the Matriarch of that warrior's clan to present the bead of prowess that had been so hard won. No such Elder waited to present hers. After each of the others had been presented with their bead, she had made her limping way to the podium to take the only bead left. The last bead which was meant for her. There was no one to present it to her, no one was there to congratulate her on her success, and no one was there to affix the bead on one of her fleshy tendrils. That action, which was the single most deciding moment of a young Yautja's life, had been left for her to do for herself. She had taken the bead and slipped it onto the end of her right foremost tendril, and then, with a deep breath and trembling hands, she had forced it upwards so that it would remain permanently in place. Her teeth ground together, and her mandibles clenched in unbearable agony as she forced that single bead upwards, but she had done it. Then, even as her entire body trembled from the agony of fixing that bead in place, she turned to face all of the others who had also taken that Chiva. She flared her mandibles and allowed her chest to swell in triumph at a success that none had believed she would ever attain.

Upon reaching the age of forty, and entering her first breeding cycle, she was forced to endure severe frustration by males that wouldn't even _look_ at her because in spite of being Blooded, she had no clan affiliation. It had been a humiliating realization for her. Caught in the relentless grip of her season, and unable to gain a male, she had locked herself in her room in the community halls. Tears of helpless frustration and pain poured from her deep-set green eyes as she silently endured the incredible agony of her body's constant and urgent demands for one of the males that she could easily smell. When that had finally ended, she had once again swallowed her pride and hired her body out as a living punching bag.

This time around, things had been slightly different. She was now a Young Blood, and the credit she gained from the training bouts was much greater than before. Each day she fought anew, and each day she returned to her squalid room a bloodied mess of fresh wounds. But she learned, she learned from each defeat, she listened carefully to each of the lessons and instructions that the trainers gave her opponents, and she took them to heart. During her time alone, she practiced diligently. Slowly she gained in skill and expertise, even though she considered herself to be still far behind those who had a clan to back and support them, she still persevered. As she gained in skill with the weapons, she also learned how to downplay that skill to those she was hired to train against. It meant that she still suffered each night, but it also meant that she was hired more often, and paid more for each session.

Now, at the _very_ young age of sixty-one years old, she had attained her own vessel. It was old and wasn't considered to be much by any stretch of the imagination, but it was completely hers. Thwei-guan's chest swelled with pride each time she looked around the old and battered hunting vessel. With this ship, she would be able to hunt for the trophies she needed to gain the attention of a clan, and possibly, hopefully, a clan affiliation. It had seemed such a lofty and impossible dream when she had been a mere pup, but now, almost unbelievably, it was a goal that was actually within her reach.

Thwei-guan stepped from the shower room that was barely large enough for four to use, and walked the few short steps to the room she had made into her quarters. Designed to hold as many as thirty Chiva candidates in three rows of five stacked bunks along each wall, the room was not overly large, but it suited her needs perfectly. She stepped over to the specially made mirror that she'd taken from the room formerly used by the Ship's four training Elders, and examined her appearance. At nine foot four inches tall as the oomans measured things, or eight and a half Nok by Yautja measurements, she had finally grown to her full height. She didn't have the large bulky musculature of other females who'd had the benefit of a clan to feed them properly while they were still pups, but the lean wiry muscles that she did have, still packed a lot of strength for her size. The grayish green coloration of her skin didn't show up to her heat sensitive eyes, nor did the creamy tan color of her stomach. What did show up, were the numerous scars from her many hard fought battles.

There, on her left thigh, were the matching twin scars that she received before she'd ever become Blooded. During a hired training session, an unblooded male had dishonorably used his wrist blades to impale her leg. Flying into a rage, she had ripped away his mask and torn all four of his mandibles off his face before raking her claws down the right side of his face, taking out that eye in the process, and marking him forever. The training Elder had been infuriated with her, and threatened to have her whipped for permanently disfiguring the male. She in turn then threatened to go before the council of Arbitrators to accuse the male _and_ the training Elder of dishonor, since _only_ the use of the spear had been specified. It was only then, that the Elder realized that by threatening her with punishment afterward, that his threat of punishment had in fact condoned the dishonorable actions of the young male.

The rather nasty scar on her lower right abdomen, just above the line where her belt would be if she were wearing it, was one of the scars that she was proud of. She had gained that one during her Chiva, when a Kainde Amedha impaled her with its tail blade while she was facing another. The matching scar just below her left breast had been received in much the same way during that trial. Then there was the surgical looking scar that ran straight up from the center of her stomach to end right between her breasts. That one she had gotten almost right after the first two, when she'd been too injured to avoid a slash of the final hard meat's tail. She knew that she had two matching scars on her back from being impaled by those two hard meat drones, and that she hadn't really been expected to survive the wounds. She knew that she'd have had no problem if she'd simply waited a little longer and acquired a larger amount of healing gel for her med kit, but she'd been young, and inexperienced with no one to explain everything she would need during her Chiva.

The gleaming white tusks of her mandibles twitched into a grim smile as she looked at the only two beads to grace the foremost fleshy tendrils on her head. The first, which was on the left side, was engraved with the name of her now deceased bearer. The second, which was in the position of honor on her first right side tendril, proclaimed her a Blooded Warrior who had passed her Chiva. She knew that other Yautja her age, had many more beads than she did. Beads that proclaimed the Honored Warrior or clan Elder who had trained them, beads that named some of the various Elders and Ancients of their clan, beads that were engraved with the name of their clan's Matriarch, and finally, the bead that declared the clan one belonged to. They were beads that she didn't have, but were also ones that she swore she would earn.

After dressing, she went to the room that served the triple purpose of training room, dinning hall, and study hall. It was the room that held the interface for the educational computer, and also where she had her prized trophies and awu'asa on display. Thwei-guan smiled brightly at the thought of one of the true treasures that this old ship held. She knew that this ship had been around for a number of centuries, and maybe as long as a few millennia, and during all that time, each scrap of language that the crew had obtained, each piece of knowledge that was acquired by those onboard, had been copied into this computer. With proper use, she could learn the techniques of those who had passed through this ship on their way to their own Chiva. She could learn many of the things that hadn't been available to her in the community crèche. Lately, she had been devoutly zealous in her studies to learn one particular language.

It was the language of those usually considered prey. Usually, but not always. She had found some records in the ancient computer where occasional members of this strange species had, on certain rare occasions, proven themselves worthy to live among the Yautja. Sometimes, they were even Warriors. Thwei-guan found it to be as unbelievable as it was fascinating, and she was diligent in her efforts to learn this language. For more than three years now, she had sat and studied this strange language on a daily basis. Struggling, and sometimes stammering, she was gaining steadily in her proficiency with it. At times, she found it difficult and frustrating, but other times it seemed so simple. The word _'bear'_ for example, usually meant a type of creature, but could also mean to carry a tremendous weight or load, and that was said the same way as a different word that meant nude or devoid of covering. Yes, the language of the oomans was a strange one, but learning it would serve her well on the hunt that she was preparing for.

Thwei-guan studied the rather difficult ooman language for nearly two hours as they measured time, before she had to stop. This was the final day of hired training matches before she left on her hunt. After this training session was over, she would have the credit to gain the last of the supplies that she thought _might_ be needed for the trip. She had thoroughly learned the lesson from her Chiva, and would be taking along more than triple what she thought would be needed. More than three times the healing gel that had been used on her after her Chiva, and enough food supplies to last a full crew of thirty four hunters for three months, she had enough standard supplies to last more than an ooman year. Lately, she had been earning the credit to purchase a second and much better set of weapons and armor. The set she had her eyes on wasn't quite new, but it was very close to it.

While most of the armor was standard, it was the gauntlets, and battle mask that had caught her eyes. Unlike her current mask, this newer version had the capability to link to her ship's computer systems and allow her to access any of the information contained in the computer. The wrist computer in the left gauntlet was much more advanced than her current model which only held thermal and cloaking controls for her mesh, along with the standard self destruct. The new wrist computer would link to her mask and map out any of her surroundings, as well as many other features. The right gauntlet had a beautiful pair of blades that could be extended twice, and it even had an inertial magnification glove that would allow the user to punch through many types of material. Then there were the acid resistant boots. Unlike her current sandals, these would protect her feet from the acidic blood of any Hard Meat she might encounter. She couldn't _wait_ to get her claws on that beautiful set of awu'asa.

Delighted thoughts of the new armor danced in her mind as she headed to her room to don her clothing that was worn beneath a set of armor. Her mandibles twitched and nearly flared in disgusted dismay at the ratty and nearly worn out set of furs on her bed that had very little fur left on them. Used by who knew how many others before her, they had been given to her by the Priests at the community crèche. She shook her head at the thought of how almost everything she had was used and handed down from others. The only things that she owned which _hadn't_ been owned by someone else were her two beads of prowess, and her clothing. No matter how much credit she'd spent on her clothing, there was no way that she was going to wear something that personal which had already been worn by someone else.

She quickly removed her top and donned the band of cloth that was worn around her breasts beneath her shoulder armor. Then, she went back to the multi use common room and put her shoulder armor on before seating the chest piece properly and comfortably over her breasts. Then, she put on her shin guards, and knee plates. Thigh plates followed those. Finally she donned her gauntlets and placed her mask on her belt. She had learned that it was a serious breach of etiquette for a lone Yautja to wear one's mask in public and hide one's face. It was something that only a person with something to hide would do, and those who did so were almost always bad bloods. There _were_ two exceptions though. The first was that if one was accompanied by someone who wasn't masked. The only other exception was armor that was ceremonial and highly decorated, because then one was displaying the unusually rich and ornate embellishments on the armor.

She stepped over to the wall that held both her weapons and the few trophies that she had to her name. Even though she only had those trophies she'd had with her as she returned from her Chiva, she was still proud of them. She retrieved her spear and one of the long swords from her small cache of weapons and placed them in their retaining straps. Her spear attached to her left thigh, and the sword was strapped to her back. Heading back to her room for a brief moment, she glanced in the mirror to gauge her appearance. Then, judging that she was ready, she left her room and secured the controls to her ship before she left.

Parked on one of many public landing ports on the outskirts the city she sort of resided in, her ship was just one of many. She couldn't help but notice how it stood dull and tarnished next to the much newer and better equipped vessels. Knowing that she wouldn't have either the time or the credit to deal with the problem until she returned from her hunting trip, Thwei-guan ignored it. Then, as she was leaving the landing pad, she spotted an all too familiar face.

At nine and a half ooman feet, the woman was a touch taller than herself. There was a grayish cast to the mottled green skin, and the beads on the female's dread lock like tendrils indicated that she was a Clan Matriarch. Not that she needed to read those beads to know that bit of information. This was the same Matriarch that had attended the Blooding ceremony in which she had been forced to retrieve her own bead of prowess over twenty years ago. Thwei-guan had seen this Matriarch almost every day since that time. As she usually did, the Matriarch took one pointed and obvious glance at the beads on her tendrils, before she displayed an expression of angry disgust while looking away and walking on.

By now, Thwei-guan was well accustomed to such treatment, and though she tried not to let it show, it still made her blood burn with humiliation and embarrassment. She knew better than to provoke the Matriarch with a challenge. Not only was the other female better trained with more experience and better skills, but there was also the response of the female's clan to consider. Even if she were to somehow win in a battle against the other female, the other members of the female's clan would begin to challenge her at every opportunity, and eventually kill her. Thwei-guan had no choice but to ignore the slight, and continue on her way. It was simply one more disadvantage of being without a clan.

Strong legs carried her in a steady purpose filled stride towards the center of the city where she would enter the home complex of the clan that had hired her for today's matches. She shook her head as she tried not to think about the strange twisted irony of the situation. The clan that had hired her was one that did so almost constantly. She could actually name many of the clan's Elders, Trainers, Young Bloods, and unblooded warriors on sight. She quickly accepted each offer that this clan made for her services, because they always paid her far more credit than the other clans. The irony was that this was the same clan that belonged to the Matriarch who seemed to be constantly trying to provoke her.

Still on the outskirts of the city, she knew that most of the buildings and structures that she passed at this point belonged to various clans who had run out of space near the city's center. She looked at the larger and more ornate structures that symbolized the more prominent clans with a gaze that was full of longing. The mere thought of being able to learn from several experienced Elders on a daily basis was enough to make her heart ache from the multitude of possibilities she could have while living there.


	2. Chapter 2

Against All Odds 2

Thwei-guan kept walking towards her destination as a light rain began to fall from the dusky orange sky. The small drops landed warm upon her skin, and she found it to be very refreshing. She knew that such wouldn't be the case on the world of the oomans where she was planning to hunt, because of the lower temperatures on that planet, but she'd deal with that when she got there. In the meantime, she simply kept walking and enjoyed the pleasant feeling of the warm rain hitting her skin.

After more than an hour of walking, she arrived at the large complex that belonged to the clan that had secured her services. Though modest in comparison to those belonging to the more prominent clans, it was still something that she would have been more than happy to consider and call home. Stopping at the open gates, she tapped her identity into the computer, along with her reason for being there, and waited for the acknowledgement. Within mere seconds, she was greeted warmly, and directed to proceed straight to the kehrite.

Once past the doors of the main entrance, her heart sank as it always did when she took in the numerous statues, sculptures, and artwork that depicted the glorious battles of the clan's honored ancestors. Had it not been for that one mistake made by her bearer, she would have had a clan home like this. Who knew, it might even have been this clan to which her bearer had belonged. It was information that she knew she would never have, but that didn't stop her from wondering about it.

Upon reaching the clan kehrite, she entered to find a familiar clan Ancient awaiting her arrival.

"Greetings Thwei-guan, it is good to see you this day. I trust that things are going well for you?" The old Warrior asked her pleasantly.

"Yes, Honored Setg'in. In fact, I must inform you that this might be my last session, because I will soon be leaving on a hunt." Thwei-guan answered respectfully.

It was a strange thing that bothered her to no end. The average members of this clan were pleasant, respectful, and almost always seemed to be glad to see her. They spoke with her avidly and pleasantly, and yet the Matriarch of this clan always seemed angered by her mere existence. Knowing that she didn't have time to ponder that incongruity at the moment, she put it out of her mind, and focused on what was occurring now.

"You do not plan to return from this hunt?" Setg'in asked in confusion.

"I most definitely plan to return if I am able, but I am of the hope that this hunt will provide me with the means to sustain myself in a more comfortable fashion." She answered honestly.

"And just where do you plan to make this hunt?" Setg'in asked after a thoughtful grunt.

"I will journey to the world of the oomans, and hunt there. I plan to fill my ship with both meat and hides so I can make some much needed improvements in my life." Thwei-guan answered quickly.

"A sound plan. Though the ooman world is dangerous, and you must take care to ensure that your ship is concealed. Speak with me after the training, and I can tell you more. In the meantime, I have an unusual request for you. I know that the contract has already been agreed on, but it seems that we have seven other unbloods who require some refined training. I know that you only agreed to train against five of them, but if you agree to this modification, then we will add to our current offer. I have the new contract with me so you can examine it, if you like." Setg'in announced as he held out a data pad containing the new contract.

She accepted the data pad and examined it carefully, but then she saw the offered sum that was named. Thwei-guan's eyes widened in shock. This clan was already paying more than four times the price that was normal. The sum that was written out was truly immense. She would have to fight against unbloods daily for a full month to earn this much credit! Her mouth went completely dry as she looked at the named sum again. There was no mistake. She could almost feel her hands starting to shake in disbelief at the price that had been named.

"Well? Do you accept?" Setg'in asked in a neutral tone of voice.

"Y… Yes, Honored Setg'in. I accept this new contract." Thwei-guan answered in shock before she placed her right thumb on the receiver as she used her thumbprint to sign the contract. She knew that fighting against a dozen unbloods in a series of training matches would leave her exhausted, and battered, but the amount of credit that was being offered would be more than enough to let her acquire the new armor, and even a few other items that she might need.

"Good! I will leave you to the training then." Setg'in announced as he left the kehrite.

Then, the unblooded warriors began filing into the room, and while none of them wore any armor, each of them carried the ki'cti-pa or spear. It was immediately obvious that this was the weapon they were to learn. The Elder that accompanied them began issuing orders to the unbloods, and in less than a moment, she was too busy to think about anything other than the match at hand.

Honored Ancient of the R'ka-Guan or Fire-Blood clan bowed his head to his Matriarch when he encountered her right after leaving the kehrite.

"Well? Did she accept the new contract?" The Matriarch demanded instantly.

"Yes, she did, though I am certain that she was more than surprised by the amount that was offered. She has informed me that this will be her final session before leaving to hunt on the ooman world." Setg'in answered quickly.

"Let me guess… she intends to fill that ship of hers with meat and hides to sell, doesn't she?" The Matriarch demanded in an irritated tone.

"That is exactly what she told me of her plans, Matriarch." Setg'in stated slightly surprised at the accuracy of the female's assumption.

"Hurgh! It is too bad that she chooses to remain clanless. With her drive, honesty, and determination, she would make a valuable addition to _any_ clan. I want you to make _certain_ that _our_ clan is first to purchase from her if she survives to return. I will _not_ have that female considering any other clan before this one, do I make myself clear? It was the luck of the Gods that I found out about her plans to leave for this upcoming hunt in time to issue these last enticements." The Matriarch growled angrily.

Setg'in said nothing in reply as he nodded his head, because he knew there was nothing to be said.

As soon as the shop keeper laid eyes on her, his mandibles fell open in shock. Thwei-guan knew that she presented a horrible appearance. Battered, bruised, and bleeding from nearly two dozen minor though irritating wounds, she almost looked fresh from a Chiva, and she knew that she would be very stiff and sore tomorrow. Right now though, she had her mind dead set on purchasing that set of awu'asa that she'd had her eyes on.

"Do not expect any charity simply because you were roughed up by someone. I do not _give_ my goods to anyone." The shop keeper stated in a surly tone.

"I have never asked you for charity, nor have I even demanded a better price for what I purchase from you, Dachande." Thwei-guan returned just as bluntly.

Taken aback by the tone, the shop keeper looked closer at the female that had just entered, before finally recognizing her. "Ahhh… the clanless one… I should have known. How many trainees did you face this day, and just how _badly_ did you beat them?" He asked rather smugly.

"There were twelve, and I faced all of them individually. Five times each." She answered tiredly.

"C'jit! No _wonder_ I didn't recognize you! You look like Cetanu himself has sparred against you this day."

"I think that tomorrow I will _feel_ like I sparred with Cetanu this day!" Thwei-guan replied in a tone that said she was only half joking.

"I believe that you will. Now, what can I show you today? Perhaps that set of armor that you've all but drooled on?" Dachande asked in a smug and tempting purr.

"Crates."

"Crates?" Dachande repeated in dumbfounded confusion. "What could you _possibly _want with crates?" He asked scratching his head in puzzlement.

"I will need a crate to put that armor in so I can carry it back to my ship!" Thwei-guan answered proudly.

"Then you will purchase it today? Good! I _knew_ that you'd get your claws on it one day. That's why I haven't bothered to show it to anyone else."

Thwei-guan looked sharply at the shop keeper with confusion evident in her eyes. "What do you mean? Why not?"

"Simple, really. Those who usually come in here looking for used armor, only intend for it to be used by unbloods to during their training or perhaps a nearly meaningless practice hunt as they prepare for their Chiva. But you, on the other claw, intend to use it while hunting, in actual combat, and _that_ makes a difference. I will not have it said that I supplied one of my customers with something that was not battle ready. In fact, if I'd known that you intended to take your Chiva in the last set of awu'asa you bought from me, I'd have made sure you had something of better quality." Dachande stated honestly.

"I think the armor I bought and am currently wearing has served me well. It may be old, but it's still perfectly usable. The protection it provided, and the weapons allowed me to survive my Chiva. I will not trade this armor for any reason, because it was not given to me. I _earned_ this armor! I fought countless training matches to buy this armor. I wore this armor on my Chiva, and I will _always_ keep this armor both as a reminder of my trial, and because it is the first thing I ever earned for myself!" Thwei-guan said proudly.

The shop keeper began looking over the armor Thwei-guan was wearing with a critical eye. He was slowly and carefully examining each piece as if gauging the value. Finally he looked up at the female and spread his upper mandibles in a sad smile. "I would never have sold it to you had I known that you planned to use it on your Chiva, and quite frankly, I do not consider it to be battle worthy now. It's just too old, and only meant for training. I can see that you've done a lot of maintenance work on it, but the computers in that armor are basic at best. Even when it was made, it was never intended to be anything other than training armor, and I'm _very_ sorry that I didn't ask you more questions before I sold it to you."

"Well, the armor that I am buying today will be much better then, Will it not?"

"Of _course_ it will! I am not fool enough to make the same mistake twice. Now, let me get that awu'asa that you've been looking at." Dachande exclaimed before entering the storage room of his shop.

A few short moments later, the shop keeper returned with a carefully packed box that contained the armor she was going to purchase. Setting the crate down, Dachande began removing each piece for inspection. At once, Thwei-guan could see the differences in the armor. For one thing, this set had much larger sections of plating, and each piece was much thinner as well as stronger to provide added protection as well. She looked at the differences in the two sets of armor carefully, and suddenly, they were obvious. The smaller, thicker plates were meant to allow a young Yautja to grow accustomed to wearing armor; to learn to move and fight while wearing it. Suddenly, she felt herself flush with embarrassment.

'_No wonder the other candidates laughed while mocking me! This armor was never meant to be put to such a use.'_ Thwei-guan thought sadly.

Then, as if reading her mind, the shop keeper spoke up. "You should take pride in the fact that you passed your Chiva while wearing such armor. I am certain that most others would have failed, where _you_ succeeded. You _next_ hunt will be much different though. _This_ time around, you will be wearing proper armor, and using the correct weapons, and not those that are meant for training."

"Why would the weapons be different?" Thwei-guan asked in surprise.

"The training blades are not as strong, nor do they have the same cutting ability as those _built_ for hunting. The plasma caster is also _far_ more powerful, and is _not_ meant for use against targets that cannot fight back. I will tell you that I nearly died of shock when I discovered that you had already left for your Chiva while wearing that armor." Dachande replied.

"You heard about it? Before I completed my trial?" She asked puzzled.

"Are you kidding? Very few Warriors could speak of anything _else_! _Everyone_ was surprised that anyone would _dare_ to do such a thing. If I had known that you didn't see that there was a difference between training armor and actual combat armor, I would have told you, so that you would have been properly equipped." Dachande told her.

He avoided mentioning that if she had perished that many of those same Elders, and Warriors would have blamed him for selling her something so obviously inappropriate in the first place. He knew, possibly more than anyone, that this particular female was being meticulously observed by several clans who wanted her as a member. While he, along with everyone _else_ who knew of her, was certainly curious to know why she hadn't chosen to look for a clan, he knew that such information was _extremely_ personal, and that he didn't know Thwei-guan nearly well enough to ask her such a thing.

Thwei-guan hung her head, because she knew that she had been desperate. Not only had she attempted to take her Chiva in what she now knew was training armor, but she had only been little more than half the usual age for such a thing. She was almost sure that the only reason she had been allowed to go, was because she had no clan Elder to order her not to. Then she tightened her mandibles in resolve and once more swallowed a large amount of her pride.

"Assume that I know nothing of armor or weapons. What would you recommend for taking a Chiva and hunting?" Thwei-guan asked suddenly.

Dachande fixed the female in front of the counter with a hard look before he held up a single finger in a gesture to wait a moment. Then, he turned and went into the back room for a brief moment to return with a second crate. Opening this second crate, he quickly removed a set of training armor, which he placed beside the hunting armor for a side by side comparison.

He was about to start explaining the differences between the two types of armor, when he realized that his customer was carefully examining the heavily scarred training armor.

"I can't say much for its appearance, because it's been hard used. But everything is perfectly functional. It's part of a commission sale. There's four full sets of scarred but functional hunting armor with all the weapons, _plus_ four full sets of training armor with weapons. The owner wants it all sold together. Like I said, it doesn't look like much, but I will say that it does come at a reasonable price." Dachande explained.

"How much?"

"Actually, once you add in my percentage for the commission, all eight sets of armor and weapons in this crate come out to the same price as this set of armor you've been dreaming over." Dachande joked. "Now, as I was saying…" He began as he gestured to the two sets of armor on the counter.

"As you can see there are some visible differences. This armor differs from training armor in several ways. First, but not completely obvious, is the fact that the metal comprising it is actually much thinner than that of training armor which has large pieces of lead included to increase the weight, so hunting armor actually weighs _less_ than training armor. The plating is larger but thinner, and much stronger to provide better protection against attacks. The Kainde Amedha cannot penetrate it very easily with their inner jaws, teeth, claws, or tail blades. The blades housed in the right wrist unit are full sized to allow for the penetration of a queen hard meat's brain while facing her. Instead of simply two modes of vision, this mask can be equipped with a third, fourth, and fifth mode of vision that you can obtain from your ship's computer. The computer in this mask can also be linked with either the computer in your ship or with the smaller module housed in the left wrist. The added memory space allows for text translations of an unknown language, as well as mapping features, and communications. These things are important during any hunt, but _especially_ during your Chiva, because you can request assistance from your fellows if needed." Dachande said before looking up at her.

"I know you bought the first set of armor that you could afford, but if I'd known what you intended…" He began. _'If you had just told me…'_ He thought dismally.

Although he was no longer able to hunt himself because most of the muscle in his lower left leg had been stripped from the bone while cleansing a hard meat hive, Dachande prided himself on the fact that he could still sell quality awu'asa because of his knowledge on the subject. Then there was also the fact that he knew how it would be used and what purpose it could be used for. The one time he'd failed to question a customer, had turned out to be the one time that he'd truly _needed_ to! He'd simply assumed from her obvious age of no more than twenty five, that Thwei-guan simply wanted training armor, so that was what he'd shown and sold her. Never, in a million lifetimes would he have guessed that she intended to attempt her Chiva at such a young age. It was such a simple mistake, and one that anyone else would also have made, but it was one that haunted him because that mistake could easily have resulted in a needless death that could have been avoided by a few simple questions. It was a mistake that he would never repeat.

"You thought I wanted this armor for training. That's why you showed it to me, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I realize now, that I would never have been able to talk you into waiting, but I could have gotten you a more suitable set of armor. Anyway, the weapons in this armor are equipped with an edge that is sharper and parts flesh much easier than a simple training weapon. The weapons in your training armor are designed _not_ to be able to cleave through any type of alloy. That means it is also _much_ more difficult to penetrate the chitinous armor of the hard meat as well. Training weapons are built that way so a student can not accidentally kill or maim another student. The plasma caster in your training armor is made to be severely under powered so that you don't seriously injure yourself or someone else while learning to use it. The plasma weapon in _this_ armor, on the other claw, is a completely different beast altogether. It packs more than ten times the firepower of the one you're familiar with…" He said before trailing off as he saw the expression on her face.

Thwei-guan's mandibles went slack even as her green eyes went wide with the realization of what the shop keeper was telling her. While it still would not have been anywhere _near_ easy, her Chiva would have been _much_ easier than it had been, and she might not have been as seriously injured as she was.

'_Toys! I went to face my Chiva using mere toys!'_ She realized disgustedly as she felt her blood run cold. It was a very sobering thought to know that her trial had been made that much more difficult by her ignorance of her equipment. She resolved then to use the computer in her ship to learn everything she could about the ooman world before she arrived there. She did _not_ want a repeat of her trial!

"_Listen_ to me Thwei-guan! It was a mistake! A mistake that will _not_ be repeated! You may not have told me what you wanted that armor for, but it was _my_ mistake by not asking you! That will _not _happen again. Besides, there are no problems with _this_ armor! You will need the hand held weapons to go with it though, and I have an extensive selection of those for you to choose from." Dachande told her sternly.

"Come; select the weapons you will feel comfortable with." Dachande said as he motioned her to follow him into a side room where scores of weapons were hung on the walls.


	3. Chapter 3

Against All Odds 3

Thwei-guan sat at an outdoor table of a dinning hall that served exotic foods from several different worlds. On the ground beside her, sat two crates that contained weapons and armor. Although satisfied that her new armor was top quality, she had also purchased the commission crate. It meant that she now had spare armor, and weapons in case of an accident or equipment damage. In front of her was a bowl of thick and savory meat stew, a large slice of fresh meat, a cup of water, and a half portion of C'ntlip. It wouldn't have seemed like much of a celebratory meal by the standards of most Yautja because it was typically standard fare. To Thwei-guan, it was a different story. Having lived her entire life on dried and preserved meats, the stuff in front of her was fresh. Much more expensive than the preserved food, this was her first time to try any of it. Although she was ravenous from her strenuous exertions earlier that day, she still took the time to savor and thoroughly enjoy this meal.

She paid no heed to the strange looks that she received from other patrons of the dinning hall, because she was accustomed to receiving such looks. She knew that she was a strange sight. Looking as if she had just finished a very dangerous hunt while wearing nothing more than what she now knew was training armor, she knew that her appearance would seem rather odd.

Thwei-guan didn't care about any of that at this moment though. She now had proper armor, and weapons, a well stocked vessel, and now the total freedom of never needing to hire herself out as a training opponent ever again. In her opinion, those were ample reasons to celebrate with food that was not only fresh, but which she hadn't had to prepare herself. The one thing she'd been careful of was that she'd only ordered a half portion of C'ntlip. She did that because she knew from observing some of the priests at the community crèche, that it was very potent. So, while she was in fact celebrating, she did _not_ intend to get roaring and stupidly drunk. Besides, this being the first time that she ever tried the drink, she was going to be careful not to over do it.

After she finished eating, she sighed contentedly, and picked up the cup of warmed liquor. She paused for a brief moment in silent appreciation of her achievements before taking that first small sip of it. Thwei-guan would have coughed after swallowing the stuff, but unfortunately for her, it had also stolen her breath away as it burned its way down her throat. Fighting for breath, she began coughing and sputtering from the C'ntlip. As she began to recover from the burning strength of the liquor, she couldn't help but overhear the laughing comments from another table off to her left.

"Hah, seems she can't hold her drink!"

"No, Brother! That's not it at all; she just realized what she looks like. I think it's something a Yaut-hound might have drug home."

Thwei-guan stiffened in anger as she glanced over at the two males who had made those comments. A quick look at the beads which graced the tendrils on their heads showed that neither of them were Blooded Warriors. Ignoring insults from those who held a higher rank, from Elders, and even slights from Clan Matriarchs was something she had to put up with, but just because she had no clan did not mean that she was going to tolerate being blatantly insulted by a pair of unblooded whelps!

Standing from her chair, she turned to fully face them and to allow them to read the only two beads that she had. Then, the only clue she gave them to signal her irritation, was that she extended her wrist blades while staring at them.

"You would do well to ask forgiveness. _Pups_ are not to insult a Blooded Warrior in such a fashion unless they are ready to kill or be killed." She told them in a calm but dangerous tone.

"Blooded Warriors don't wear _training_ armor! So do not pretend to be something you aren't!" One said boldly, and she recognized the voice as that of the first speaker.

"I wear this armor with _pride_, you insolent snot mouthed _pup_! Further more, I have _much_ more experience in using this armor than you _ever_ will! I suggest that _both_ of you apologize to me, _now_!" Thwei-guan growled softly.

Suddenly she became aware of several others who had gathered to see what was going on. That was when she knew that there was now no way that she could allow this to pass. Her honor and reputation both were now at stake.

'_C'jit! How did I let myself get involved in this?'_ She wondered angrily.

"I _refuse_ to apologize to a clanless _nothing_!" The second snarled loudly as he stood and extended his wrist blades.

Thwei-guan wasn't the only one to growl in anger over such a blatant challenge, but she was only aware of the growl emerging from her own throat as she charged at the insolent unblood.

The unknown male cocked his arm high to the outside, and it was apparent that he intended to make a cross body slash against either her upper left arm, or her lower chest and abdomen. It was a very basic strike, and one that she would never have used because it was too easy to counter. Catching the slashing ki'cti-pa on the bracer of her left wrist that housed her computer, she quickly slashed her own wrist blades at the elbow of the offending male to amputate his arm and render him weaponless. Then, a quick twist of her right wrist and her arm was flowing down before coming back across to slash deeply in to the male's legs just above his knees but below the protecting thigh plates.

Thwei-guan stepped back and immediately sheathed her wrist blades and pulled her spear, before looking down at the now whimpering male.

"I think I will leave you like that so you can explain to your Clan's Matriarch how you insulted a Blooded Warrior." Thwei-guan purred dangerously before she looked over at the other male who was still in his seat at the table.

"You're going to regret this, _Reject_! I'll see to it that our clan hunts you down and kills you!" The male on the ground grunted out in obvious pain.

"They might end up killing me, that is true, but _you_ are now, and will _forever_ be a cripple. I may be clanless for now, but one day that may change. _You,_ on the other claw, will soon discover what it is like to have no clan to aid you in life. I suggest that you make what friends you can among the priests at the community crèche, because without being able to pass a Chiva, you will _never_ become a Warrior!" Thwei-guan retorted hotly.

"The female is correct, and our _clan_ will _not_ get involved when you are _obviously_ at fault for insulting a Blooded Warrior! I had hoped that the two of you could remain out of trouble for a few short moments, but _no_… You just had to go and insult someone who has no reason to tolerate your insolence in the slightest. It was hoped that the lashings you've been dealt would have convinced you to show some respect, but obviously not!" An unfamiliar male growled as he strode through the gathering crowd.

Thwei-guan felt her mandibles go slack as she looked over at the most _muscular_ male she'd ever laid eyes on! At seven nok tall, he was average in height for a full grown male, but he was more heavily muscled than _any_ Yautja she'd ever seen. Forearms that were as thick as her own upper arms, and upper arms as thick as the thighs of her legs, this was a male that she didn't _dare_ offend! A quick glance at his beads told her that he was an Honored Warrior of the R'ka-de Th'syra or Flaming Skull clan.

'_C'jit! This is not going to go well; at all_!_'_ She thought sourly. She knew that the male was big enough and strong enough to toss her around like a mere suckling. The only thing she had going for her at the moment was that she hadn't started this.

The first male who had spoken up to instigate the conflict leapt to his feet in the presence of an Honored member of his clan, only to find himself knocked back down into the seat by a single blow of the Warrior's fist on the top of his head.

"You will _stay_ seated now_,_ you fool! I don't know what the pauk you thought you were doing by disrespecting and _insulting_ a Blooded Warrior like you did, but I can _promise_ that you will _not_ find your punishment pleasant at all! And that will _only_ happen if she does not choose to kill you for your insults!" The big male snarled angrily at the stunned unblood.

Thwei-guan tensed as the heavily muscled male turned his attention to her. This was _exactly_ why she hated being in public. There was almost always some type of incident. Insults would be directed at her, sometimes she was free to ignore those insults or deal with them as she chose, but then, sometimes she was given no choice and others would step in. This was obviously one of those times. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do, how to respond, or even how to act because those drunken Priests at the community crèche had never really taught her anything truly useful about public behavior or even the customs of her own people. It went beyond irritating, and far into the realm of infuriating.

"Blooded Warrior, I ask that you consider this incident to be dealt with, because I can _assure_ you that _both_ of these unbloods will be properly disciplined upon returning to our clan." The still unnamed male stated politely as bowed his head in a show of respect.

A mere pup could have pushed her over at that moment using but a single finger, and Thwei-guan would have been powerless to prevent her fall. To say that she was in a state of completely stunned surprise was a drastic understatement. She took a moment to truly realize that she could now walk away from this, but she didn't know the proper way to answer the male. Her mandibles twitched in irritation as she simply nodded her head and turned back to her table.

Thwei-guan eyed the cup of warmed C'ntlip irritatedly. Because her good mood had been thoroughly ruined by the two unbloods, she no longer felt like celebrating, and she _certainly_ didn't want to try another sip of the brew that had caused her current situation. She grabbed the cup off the table and angrily dumped the contents on the ground.

"The first and _last_ time I ever try that stuff." She growled sourly beneath her breath. She slammed the empty cup back on the table and bent down to get the two crates that contained her newly purchased armor.

"What's the matter? Don't have the stomach for a _Warrior's_ drink? Slink on back to your hovel, you clanless _Reject!_ You don't belong among _real_ Yautja!"

Thwei-guan froze as she heard the hisses of total disbelief from nearly everyone present. Almost stunned by such blatant disrespect which was also a challenge, she turned her head to see the unblood getting to his feet while still sneering at her.

"Know this fool, if she does not succeed in killing you for this disrespect, _I will_!" The heavily muscled male growled angrily.

"I am _not_ a fool! You were going to do that anyway, and at least _this_ way I have a chance to kill this hole dwelling pretender!" The unblooded male retorted.

Thwei-guan quickly opened one of the crates and retrieved an H'sai-de for her left hand, while extending the wrist blades on her right. "I do not dwell in a hole, nor is it a hovel that I live in. If this one somehow _does_ manage to kill me, then I leave my ship, my credit, and my awu'asa to the weapons dealer Dachande to do with as he pleases."

Thwei-guan had no intention of getting killed, but she knew that it was a possibility. She positively _hated_ the thought of naming _anyone_ as being close enough to her to inherit her belongings, but since he was the only one she knew to even a partial extent, she named Dachande, because she _certainly_ wasn't going to leave such things to the community crèche.

"Where the _pauk_ did a reject like you get a ship?" The unblood promptly demanded as he dropped into his stance, and extended his wrist blades.

"I bought my ship four years ago! I used the credit I've earned by training, and teaching foolishly arrogant whelps like you." She answered as she stepped forward to meet the male.

She retracted her wrist blades, but deliberately kept the scythe like sword in her left hand, because she knew that the technique would confuse her opponent. One of the few things she had found that she excelled at was her ambidexterity, and _this_ was an excellent reason to use that ability. She knew that not only were many Yautja unable to use a bladed weapon in their left hands, but that they were also unfamiliar with the techniques needed to counter against one who could.

Thwei-guan's mandibles fixed themselves in a smirk as she perfectly mirrored the stance of her opponent. She wasn't stupid. She knew that she was tired and sore from training and fighting unblooded Yautja for nearly the entire day, while her adversary was obviously fresh and well rested. That was the reason she was using her left hand for this fight. As long as both of them kept to a single weapon, then they were considered to be fairly matched. She reversed her grip on the long bladed weapon so that the spine lay against her left forearm, and waited for the male to make his first and last mistake.

She heard several surprised, and even a few awed comments regarding her particular stance, but she paid them no heed. All of her attention was on her opponent, and she couldn't prevent herself from twitching her mandibles in amusement at the perplexed look on his face. Suddenly, she got a truly wild idea, and she flared her mandibles in a smile while beckoning the male with her right hand, and she nearly laughed when the male roared in pure rage at the blatant challenge.

The male charged forward with his wrist blades aimed in a quick thrust to her stomach. She used her blade to push her enemy's weapon to her right, and spun in that direction to increase her momentum along with that of her weapon. Completing the spin she made a light slash against her off balance opponent's ribs and smirked at the first blood she'd drawn.

Mor'kaa turned to face the female in angry disbelief. Just who did this clanless thing think she was? She had just moved out of his way and let him stumble stupidly like an untrained fool! Then, she had even drawn first blood against him. It wasn't a serious wound, only a slight inconvenience, but it did serve to make her appear to be that much stronger and more skilled. He roared in anger and stepped forward with a swift and powerful thrust at the female's abdomen. The female angled her blade straight down as her left hand swept across as she used the spine of her blade to force his wrist blades to his left.

At the same time that she parried the thrust of the male, Thwei-guan curled the last two joints of the fingers on her right hand and tucked her thumb, so that she could make a potentially devastating strike at the male's throat. She wasn't at all surprised when the male took a quick step back to leave his right leg forward. That was exactly what she had planned as she brought her H'sai-de down across his right leg just above the knee where the muscles and tendons were concentrated.

The male immediately staggered with a grunt of pain as he quickly tried to get his right leg back into a more protected position and recover his balance by placing his weight back on his left leg. Thwei-guan paused in her attack for just a moment to allow the male to regain his balance. Even though she was perfectly within her rights to pursue him straight to his death, she chose to allow the male a moment to realize that she'd just doomed him to a crippled existence even if he survived this battle. As soon as her belligerent opponent recovered, Thwei-guan feinted a thrust of her blade at his face to force him to step back. The male used his wrist blades to block the thrust, but he was forced to step back as well. As soon as he did, she lunged forward and slammed the heel of her right foot into the male's left knee hard enough that the noise could be clearly heard by everyone as the kneecap shattered.

Thwei-guan stepped back as the male fell to the ground howling from the agony caused by his now useless left knee. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a brief moment before releasing the air in her lungs and shedding her rage at the same time.

"You may have won, but you are still a Clanless Reject! Everyone knows that those who have no clan also have no honor!" Mor'kaa grunted angrily in an attempt at distraction.

"It is true that I have no clan to teach me much of what I wish to learn, but I wonder what excuse you have for possessing such disrespect and complete lack of honor." Thwei-guan hissed softly as she glared at the downed male.

Thwei-guan couldn't have said what prompted her to lunge to her left at that moment. Perhaps some instinct, of possibly she had noticed something about the male on the ground, but whatever it was, that lunge sparred her life as a dagger that was hurled at her throat became buried in her right arm just beneath her shoulder. Even as she screamed in pain and renewed rage, she spun in a circle to her left while ejecting her wrist blades. Then, just as she completed her spin, she dropped into a crouch and plunged her wrist blades into the males abdomen in a forward thrust that would cleave both the heart and lungs of her opponent.

Her mandibles flexed and twitched in a mix of both anger and pain while she watched the disbelieving eyes of the male slowly lose focus as his life was extinguished by her hand. Withdrawing her blades from the now dead male, she stood up tiredly and glanced around at the crowd of spectators. She let her H'sai-de fall to the ground as she reached up with her left hand to remove the dagger that was still embedded in her right shoulder. A soft high pitched whining hiss of pain escaped her mouth as she pulled the dagger out. She looked stupidly at the blade in her hand as she wondered what she was now supposed to do with it. Never before had she ever killed another Yautja. Oh that wasn't to say that she hadn't been involved in fights before, but never had any of those altercations reached the level that this one had so quickly attained. She was jerked from her thoughts by a series of sounds she wasn't too familiar with. Looking up, Thwei-guan saw that the heavily muscled male had beheaded both of the males who had insulted her, and was even now stripping their lifeless bodies of armor and weapons.

She offered the dagger that was still dripping with her own blood to the male. He swiped it on the skin of one of the now dead males to clean it, and put it in a game bag with the rest of the gear. Not certain what to do now, she bent down and retrieved her H'sai-de to place it back in the crate. Then, the male finished gathering everything the two unblooded males had with them in a carry bag, and attached the carry bag to his belt before he turned to face her with his head slightly bowed.

"Blooded Warrior, since these two have disturbed your meal, it is only fitting that their credit be used to replace the meal they ruined with their disrespect. Allow me to correct this wrong on behalf of my clan." The large male stated as he signaled a server.

Because the male had invoked the honor of his entire clan in his offer, Thwei-guan knew that there was no way to refuse without engaging this male in a death match. With no other choice in the matter, she nodded her head and watched silently as the muscular male ordered two plates of seasoned fresh meat, two bowls of S'pke, and two small cups of C'ntlip. She almost groaned when she heard the male name that last item, since her reaction to it had been the cause of the whole incident that she d just finished dealing with.

The heavily muscled male whose name she still didn't know, waited until she resumed her seat at the table, before taking one himself. "My name is Hulij-bpe Thwei of the R'ka-de Th'syra Clan." He said as he introduced himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Against All Odds 4

Thwei-guan knew about the Flaming Night Clan. They were a very prominent Clan with a large housing complex in nearly every system that the Yautja had colonized. Almost as prominent as the notorious Dark Blade Clan, but with a reputation that wasn't anywhere nearly as sinister. She realized that she was now dining with a member of a Clan who was so large and exalted that they simply had no need to hire one such as herself for the training of their unblooded warriors. But that wasn't what was now making her nervous. She had actually heard rumors of this particular Warrior. Supposedly, his bearer had given him another name entirely, but his fighting methods were so unorthodox and seemingly random that he had earned another name for himself that he now claimed as his own. Apparently, this Warrior chose to regard his new name as yet another of his trophies.

"My name is Thwei-guan, owner of the ship 'Honor Blood'." She answered immediately; naming her ship since she had no clan to claim as her own.

She was pulled from her nervous musings by the arrival of the order, and she reached for the C'ntlip without even thinking.

"Hold your breath."

"Why? What do you mean?" Thwei-guan asked confused.

"Hold your breath before you take a sip of that. Then the fumes will not burn nearly as much. Although C'ntlip is a rather strong drink, there are some races that brew much stronger drinks. I have even sampled one brew which was called 'Lighting' or some such by the natives who made it. That stuff was so strong that I do not care to try it again. The disturbing thing is that those natives can, and _have_ even used that brew as a fuel for some of their vehicles. C'ntlip isn't quite that strong, but it can still steal your breath away." Hulij-bpe told her.

Thwei-guan took the male's advice and held her breath before bringing the cup to her mouth and taking a cautious sip of the beverage. It was still strong tasting, and nearly burned as it passed down her throat, but it didn't choke her up the way it had before. She held her breath until after the sip had gone down completely, and found that the flavor wasn't bad at all.

Once they had finished eating, Hulij-bpe Thwei reached down and picked up the larger of the two crates that contained the commissioned sets of awu'asa.

"Allow me to assist you, Thwei-Guan. I would be honored to carry this one for you since it is obvious that you would have your hands full with both of them." Hulij-bpe said lightly.

Thwei-guan didn't know of any way that she could refuse the assistance without being insulting to this male who was treating her with respect, consideration, and civility.

"That would be appreciated." She answered as she picked up the smaller of the two crates.

The walk to the public landing pads was made in silence, and as they approached the various vessels parked there, Hulij-bpe took note of one ship in particular. There were many vessels that were a few thousand years of age, but were perfectly functional and readily useful. The one that caught his attention though, stood out because it was positively _ancient_! He knew that the design of Yautja ships had changed very little in the past ten to twelve thousand years, but the one he was looking at was obviously much, _much_ older than that. He was unable to keep his surprise off his face as Thwei-guan led him right up to the old vessel.

"How many others share this vessel with you?" He asked casually as he tried to overcome his surprise at seeing such an ancient antique that was actually in use.

"There are no others. I purchased this ship, and live here on my own." She answered truthfully.

"On your own? How old are you?" He blurted in surprise before he could help it.

"I am sixty-one years of age. I know my ship is old, but it serves me well as a home." She replied with a slight amount of defiance in her tone.

'_Old? I can think of _several_ colony worlds that are younger than this vessel!'_ He thought in surprise as he looked the ship over.

He remained silent as she led him inside, and he saw right away that the interior was properly clean, and readily belied the outward appearance. The slight humming throb of powerful engines revealed that the vessel could still serve its designed purpose. Following the clanless female to a somewhat large but multi use room, he saw the trophies from what was obviously a successful Chiva along with numerous training weapons. He then looked around quickly because he noticed something missing, and he couldn't restrain his curiosity.

"Where is your hunting gear, and why isn't it displayed with the rest of your trophies?"

"I haven't had any actual hunting armor until earlier this day, but it will certainly be placed on my wall with the rest of my awu'asa." She answered with slight embarrassment.

Hulij-bpe looked at the female in front of him in total confusion, and a growing sense of suspicion as he placed the crate on the floor. "If you didn't have any hunting armor, then how did you pass your Chiva?"

"I faced my Chiva in the only armor I had at the time. The same armor I am wearing now." She proclaimed angrily.

Hulij-bpe suddenly looked carefully at the armor adorning the female in front of him with an eye for all of the small details. Various scratches and gouges in the armor lined up perfectly with a couple of the scars on the female s body. Then there was the pitted scoring on some of the armor that could only have been caused by exposure to a highly potent acid, and that was when he knew that she spoke the truth. He quickly looked from her to the wall of her trophies.

"You faced your Chiva, and passed, in that? Ha!" He proclaimed with a scoff.

Thwei-guan bristled with mounting rage because she was sure that this male was now insulting her, but before she could say anything he resumed speaking.

"No wonder you defeated those two fools so easily and quickly! I think it's a shame that you didn't decide to toy with them a bit before defeating them. I would have truly appreciated the chance to see that kind of skill on full display." Hulij-bpe exclaimed with a pleased set to his mandibles.

He looked around the room critically, and noticed some information displayed on the ship's library computer screen. Although he didn't look at any of the details, since that would have been extremely rude, he did notice that it wasn't a typical topic that could be acquired by purchasing a data module. His curiosity piqued, he turned to look at Thwei-guan once more.

"When was the last time the archive in this ship was purged?" He asked interestedly.

"The computer hasn't been purged since this ship was built. The archive is fully intact, although I will probably need to have an additional memory unit installed fairly soon, because I think it s getting full." She answered honestly.

Hulij-bpe looked around the room with wide eyes as his mandibles drooped in shock. Suddenly he turned and grabbed Thwei-guan by her shoulder and gave it a firm shake. "Do not allow that computer to be purged. Whatever you do; do _not_ allow that to happen! There could well be information in that computer that is not duplicated _anywhere_ else."

"What do mean? Sure my ship is a little old, but there are other archives available…" She began confused.

"You don't truly realize how old this ship really is; do you?" He demanded with sudden intensity.

"No. Not really. Why?"

"Almost every other ship out there on the landing pads are probably close to a couple thousand years of age. That is not surprising considering that we Yautja tend to build things to last. But this ship… This ship is a different type of blade altogether. I would guess its age to be anywhere from sixty to one hundred million years old. There is no way of telling what kind of forgotten fighting styles and methods might be hidden in the depths of that computer! I don't know the reason for your solitude, and it isn't my place to ask, but from one Warrior to another, I will tell you that the archive in this ship may well be worth more than any five ships parked here." He told her earnestly.

"Oh… I don't mean credit wise, but as a source of information it is irreplaceable, so do not allow it to be purged, and if you ever acquire a different vessel, be sure to have the archive transferred!" He said quickly when he saw the expression on the female s face.

I… I will remember that." Thwei-guan said softly in a slight state of shock as the male turned to leave.

"Oh! Before I forget…" He said as he quickly turned back to face he and began detaching the trophy sack on his belt. "These belong to you. They're yours by right of conquest. Where would you like me to put them?"

"There on the floor is fine, since I'll have to sort through everything else that I purchased today as well." She replied.

Hulij-bpe Thwei quickly and efficiently emptied the sack and started to leave once more. "Be well Thwei-guan. I look forward to meeting you again."

After the male left, Thwei-guan stared at the pile of awu'asa and the pair of heads from the two who had insulted her in a state of shock. She had gone to see Dachande with the intention of gaining one new set of armor and weapons, now she had not one, but eleven new sets of armor along with a small arsenal of weapons! She slowly sank down to sit on the large crate numbly, as she tried to figure out how this day had turned out the way that it had.

Thwei-guan remained in a dazed state of bewildered confusion for quite a while as she tried in vain to figure things out. Finally, after half an hour, she shook her head to bring herself out of her melancholy state. She got up and began to sort through the belongings of the two dead males that were still on the floor of her ship. The awu'asa was new, unscarred, and undamaged by any real battle. She began the process of hanging the armor on her wall in various places. Masks went in one place, shoulder armor in another, while weapons were placed on an adjacent section of the wall.

When she realized that the mesh suits that were responsible for both camouflage and thermal regulation were also there, she couldn't believe her eyes. Hulij-bpe had obviously made sure to grab everything of value that the two had owned. The mesh suits were set aside, because she would take those to her room, and resize them to fit her own much larger body. After setting the mesh aside, she found the two medical kits. Although still closed, they were slightly larger then her own, and she eagerly opened them to see what the differences were. These two kits had everything hers had, except that the vials of healing serum were larger, and there were three more of them included in each one. She immediately injected herself with a sizable dose of the included serum in order to deal with the damage to her right shoulder by the cowardly male who had tried to kill her after he was obviously defeated. She hadn't intended to kill either of the males, because she didn't want to face any potential repercussions or retaliation from irate clan members. The Honored Warrior Hulij-bpe Thwei had decided otherwise, and ended their lives anyway. Now she had two new skulls for her wall. She knew that while she hadn't actually killed one of them herself, she had defeated both of them so completely, that all of those who had been watching knew that she had won.

Opening the smaller of the two crates, she quickly put the armor and weapons in their appointed places before turning her attention to the other one. Eight sets of awu'asa. Four sets of hunting armor and four sets of training armor. Never would she have thought that she would own such a wealth of equipment as she now had hanging on her wall. Whips, throwing disks or chakt-ra as they were named, al'Nagara, dah'Nagara, H'sai-de, and several different ki'cti-pa were all on display. Those weapons didn't even include those that were medium to long distance, like the net guns, spearguns, energy flechettes, or the plasma casters.

Stepping back she looked at her weapon and armor covered wall in silent awe. If she didn't know for a fact that the wall and its contents belonged to her, she would have sworn that she was looking at the equipment owned by an Honored Elder! Next to her equipment, the th'syra of the three Kainde Amedha from her Chiva looked like a meager and pathetic attempt at a trophy wall. Suddenly, her heart sank just as much as it had been filled with pride but a mere instant ago. She glanced down at the two heads that could be placed on the wall after they were cleaned, and knew that even then, her wall of trophies would still be essentially bare.

Her head hung low as she headed to a small room that had the dual purpose of being a complete black smith facility, as well as a trophy preparation room. She quickly stripped the golden beads off both of the severed heads, and placed them in a drawer for spare materials. Then, she began the process of skinning the two heads. It wasn't until she was polishing the second of the two skulls that she realized just how many trophies could soon be placed upon her wall. If this hunting trip was a success, then she would have many skulls adorning personal her wall of honor. It was a realization that cheered her greatly.

Having mounted both of the newly acquired skulls in the place of least honor on the wall of her vessel, Thwei-guan stepped back to look at the overall effect. Five skulls and eleven full sets of awu'asa now decorated the wall of her personal kehrite. The total was a much larger collection than she had ever thought she would have. There was a pleased set to her mandibles as she headed to the shower to clean herself up after all that she had been through this day.

The command chair was quite comfortable as she watched the main screen of her control center. The view was impressive as she took in the sight of her world from orbit. Her mandibles flared in a smile as she thought about how her return to Yaut would be the start of a new life. This time around, things would be different. This time, she would hopefully have enough trophies on her wall to garner the attention of a clan that would be willing to accept and adopt her as a member. She was almost smirking in satisfaction as she hit the control that would send her on a somewhat slow but fuel conservative course to the ooman planet.

Guan-vor'mekta paced her chambers in impatient irritation as she waited for Setg'in to arrive. It was time to find out if any of her machinations had gone as she had so carefully and meticulously planned. When the messenger stepped in to announce the male's arrival, she cut him off instantly.

"What have you learned, Setg'in?"

"The clanless one known as Thwei-guan has departed for the ooman world. It seems that she spent a large amount of the credit you so generously provided at the shop of a weapons dealer named Dachande, where she made two purchases. The first was a set of awu'asa that the female has long wanted, and the other was a commission that was obtained just this morning and consisted of no less than four set of training armor…"

"And four sets of hunting armor! Yes, yes, I know. I am the one who provided that commission to Dachande with the condition that he sell it strictly to her." The Matriarch snapped angrily as she glared at the male in front of her.

"How… how did you…" Setg'in began in bewilderment.

"Dachande is _still_ a member of my clan! Although I have not told him of my reasons for certain things, _he_ is intelligent enough not to ask too many questions. Now tell me what else you learned." Guan-vor'mekta demanded impatiently.

"After she made the purchase, she went to eat at a communal hall not far from Dachande's shop. There was an incident after she was highly insulted by two unblooded members of the R'ka-de Guan clan. They insulted her when she drank C'ntlip for what was apparently the first time if one were to judge by her comment at the time. She crippled the first male who mocked her for wearing training armor." Setg'in stated factually before he snorted a laugh.

"She also threatened to leave him that way. The second chose to challenge her to the death after the Warrior known as 'Crazy Blood' arrived. That fight did not last long either, and she finished by crippling him as well. But the coward threw a dagger that was meant to kill her, and she ended up with only a minor wound in her right shoulder that did not stop her from using that same arm to kill the male. Crazy Blood, then used the credit of the dead males to replace the meal that had been so rudely disturbed. He also assisted her in taking the crates of armor to her vessel. He carried the awu'asa and severed heads of the dead males in his trophy sack. He was seen leaving her vessel without those trophies." Setg'in informed calmly.

"But there is more Matriarch." Setg'in added quickly when he saw that the female was ready to explode in rage.

"What more do I need to know other than that the Flaming Night clan is also going to try to gain her as a member? I _can't compete_ with their resources!" Guan-vor'mekta exclaimed angrily.

"Actually, I believe that we already have an advantage over them in this particular case." Setg'in told her with a smug set to his mandibles.

"Tell me!" The Matriarch said as she turned and stared straight at the male to give her undivided attention.

"Thwei-guan named Dachande as her inheritor should she have been killed in the fight." Setg'in said simply.

She stared silently at the Elder male for a moment as she thought about the implications of what he'd just told her. Then, she released her frustration with a single long exhale of breath.

"That _is_ decent news! Now if I could only discover _why_ she hasn't decided to seek a clan to accept her, I might be able to have her influenced in that area." She lamented with a shake of her head.

"She may not know how…"

"_What?!_ Explain, _now_!"

"I spoke with Dachande at length after all of this occurred. He told me that he'd only just discovered that Thwei-guan didn't know or realize that she had taken her Chiva in _training_ armor! That she truly had no idea that there was a difference between hunting armor, and training armor…" Setg'in began.

"How the pauk could she _not_ know of such a difference?"

"I am not certain, but Dachande seems to have the impression that she may not have received a proper education from the community crèche. At any rate, she all but admitted her ignorance to Dachande. That was when he explained the differences to her." Setg'in stated.

"Hmm… I think you might well be right in that guess, Setg'in. If she was ignorant of something as basic and important as armor, then she may _not_ know that proper way to signal her search for an accepting clan. What the _pauk_ are those drunken fools teaching to the pups they care for these days?" She exclaimed in exasperation as she resumed her irritated pacing.

Guan-vor'mekta paced while she fumed in silence. Her anger was such that it would be obvious to anyone that saw her. Catching sight of the male who still hadn't left her chambers yet, the Matriarch realized that he had something else to add, so she signaled him to proceed.

"There is one more aspect of this that should interest you, Matriarch. The clanless one defeated the second male by using an H'sai-de in her _left_ hand!" Setg'in stated clearly.


	5. Chapter 5

Against All Odds 5

She released a long and contented sigh as the nearly scalding water cascaded down her body. Thick heavy clouds of billowing steam filled the room as Thwei-guan relaxed under the pressurized spray of her shower. The injection of healing serum that she'd taken the day before was dealing with her injuries quite well, but this… this was a wonderful way to relax, and relieve the tension, stiffness, soreness, and stress within her body. The heat from countless streams of hot water soaked slowly into her skin. She knew that the highly efficient filtration and recycling systems of her ship were the only reason that she could indulge in a long shower, and that was why she always took full advantage of it.

Thwei-guan had known that she was going to be stiff and sore this day. After all, sixty sparing matches in a single day would leave _anyone_ in such condition. Lounging beneath the high pressure spray of water, she wondered which of the species she had learned about would provide the most return for her efforts. She was well aware that freshly hunted meat was a _very_ valuable commodity on Yaut Prime, since most clans preferred to keep that for themselves, and only sold the dried meats. Therefore, she would be able to get a large amount of credit for any meat that she offered to sell. She had already determined that she would _not_ hunt the oomans themselves. Her reasoning behind that was because while their skins were known to make a somewhat acceptable leather, they had nowhere near enough meat to make hunting them worthwhile. Besides, they were also notoriously dangerous because of their cunning, and she wasn't sure she was ready for a hunt of that magnitude. That was why she planned to avoid them if she could.

Once she was sure that the hot water had warmed her muscles sufficiently, she began stretching while still under the spray of her shower. She knew that she was taking an easy method as far as a warm up went, but there was no one to berate her for doing it. Shutting off the shower, she stepped into the kehrite where she had turned up the heat earlier. It was almost uncomfortably warm in the room as she took a pair of al'Nagara off the wall and assumed a beginning stance.

She paused for a brief moment as she began to imagine an opponent in front of her. Then she blurred into action. The left hand blade was immediately reversed and brought up in a slash across the face, while the blade in her right hand was simultaneously shoved forward in an abdominal thrust. She then made a quick half turn to her left to make a back hand stab at her envisioned opponent with her left hand blade, which was immediately followed by completing the spin with a downward cross body slash of her right hand blade. She maintained the motion, speed, and momentum of her right hand to bring it in a full circle on the left side of her body; that blade came arcing down from her left to her right in a deadly blur. That first blade was immediately followed by the second blade held in her left hand.

For more than seven hours straight, Thwei-guan pushed her body, her skills, and her knowledge to their absolute limits as she practiced every last one of the limited number of techniques available for wielding a bladed weapon in each hand. Sweat poured from every pore in her body. It dripped from the tips of her tendrils, her chin, her arms, and even the tips of her breasts. She had diligently practiced every two handed blade technique she had found in her ships computer until those methods were almost as natural as breathing. She looked down at her now exhausted body, and fervently wished that there were other techniques that could be employed to use a pair of blades. She watched with nearly unseeing eyes as beads of sweat dripped from her naked body while she tried to envision other possible ways that she could use a weapon in each hand.

She had discovered early on, that her ambidexterity was unusual, and she longed to be able to make full use of what she knew could be a distinct advantage. She knew that she had scoured her ship's computer for every possibly technique that involved using two weapons, but what little that was known was woefully inadequate. She was positive that there were more methods and styles that could be learned, but she hadn't been able to find any of them.

'_One more day. One more day of travel, and then I can begin to hunt for the meat and hides to buy whatever data modules I want. I just need to wait one more day.'_ She reminded herself firmly.

She placed her weapons back in their places on the wall, and stepped back into her shower room. This time around, her shower was short, since she wasn't using the water to warm cold muscles. She simply got herself clean, and turned off the water. Then once she was dried and dressed, she went back to her kehrite room to sit at the ship's library computer. Once there she studied and practiced the ooman language for quite a few hours until she'd completely lost track of time. It wasn't until her sight became blurry from weariness that she realized she'd studied for the entirety of the day. She shut down the computer with obvious reluctance and headed to her ship's food locker to fix herself something to eat. She knew that she was getting both restless and impatient, and she knew the reason for it. She was now actually doing something that was going to improve her life. Within a single day, two at the most, she would be hunting for the things that would help improve her life.

Several strips of dried fruit and a slab of dried meat that seemed almost as hard as some of her armor, served as her meal. Although she was well accustomed to the simple fare, it was certainly a far cry from the type of food that she'd taken the chance to sample and enjoy the day before. When she finally finished eating, she put her dishes in the sterilizer and headed to her room.

Upon entering her room, she was once again treated to the sight of the furs on her bed. Her mandibles curled in disgust at the sight of furs that had little if any fur left on them. She resolved there and then, that the first creatures she would hunt would be ones that had wonderfully thick coats of fur that she could put on her bed. She stripped down to her undercloth, and climbed between the pelts. Thoughts of nice _thick_ furs, fresh meat, new hides, trophies, and the possibilities of gaining a clan that would accept her filled her mind as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

She had slept much later than she normally would have done, but that wasn't really a problem since she had nothing to do but watch the computer land the ship where she'd programmed it to set down. When she got out of bed, she grabbed a set of clean clothes to wear for the day, and headed straight for the shower room. In the shower, she took her time to make certain that she removed every trace of her scent as well as to be rid of the dirty feeling that sleeping in those used furs invariably left her with. After her shower, Thwei-guan got dressed and donned her armor, before she headed to the control room of her ship.

She sat down at the flight controls and watched the screen where information was displayed. The ship's computer was already programmed with both her course, and her landing coordinates that she'd chosen. With only a few hours left, as the oomans measured time, she would soon be hunting for the things that would provide her with a much better life.

Now that it was inside the actual solar system, the ship was a mere half hour away from hitting the planet's atmosphere when it happened. The screen that displayed the sensor readings went nearly blank. She knew that it wasn't a problem with the display screen, because some of the internal readings were still there. She quickly ordered the ship's computer to run a diagnostic to find the problem. A few seconds later, the screen revealed a faulty connection to the external sensor net. Thwei-guan immediately pulled up a set of schematics and had them transferred to her battle mask.

She ran out of the control room and towards the back of the ship to a section just outside the engine compartment. She unlatched a rack of tools, and grabbed a portable diagnostic computer before she slid the entire rack out so she could gain access to the faulty connection relay. As she uncoupled the connection cables, she used the diagnostic unit on the coupling. Corrosion! Simple corrosion caused by age had been the cause of the problem. She stood up and ran quickly to the engineering supplies to get a mild solvent that was used to remove corrosion and other forms of rust, before she returned to faulty relay. Cleaning the connections was fairly simple, and she performed the task easily. Once it was done, she reconnected the ends of the coupling and stood to close everything up. Suddenly there was the sound of an incredible impact against the ship's hull, and everything went black.

Richard Davis known to his customers as Rick or Ricky, smiled to himself as the deep cherry red steel threw bright sparks everywhere each time his hammer came down on it. This particular sword blade was taking shape quite nicely. The two pound sledge hammer rang loudly against the glowing red steel, and there really wasn't a more satisfying sound to him. Okay so he wasn't as renowned as some of the more famous knife makers like Gil Hibben, who had made the 'Rambo' knives for the movies, but he knew that he was just as good, but in a different way. That difference lay in the fact that he also manufactured armor, and shields as well as weapons. Those skills had come in very handy during the filming of 'The Lord of the Rings' movies. He had been one of more than two hundred weapon smiths who were churning out armor and weapons for use in the production.

The room containing his forge was covered wall to floor with both weapons and armor of many styles and types. Swords that ranged from basic appearance to wildly exotic were hung on the walls, and every one of them were fully functional. He prided himself on the fact that those people who wanted the real thing would find nothing else among his displays. The first thing that would catch a potential customer's eye was that half the room displayed gear that could have been proudly used by any of the Knights of the Round Table, while the other half, could very well have been used by the Dark Lord himself. With half the room showing items that were almost heavenly in nature and the other half being dark and sinister, it made the customers pause to actually _look_ at what was on display. It was a cunning and not so subtle trick, but it was also one that worked.

Powered by a combination of both wood, and propane gas, the brick forge was well able to maintain a steady and reliable temperature for working metal. The thick wall of bricks helped hold the heat of the flames right where it was needed, and the wood, added the necessary carbon to the steel being worked to increase the amount of carbon for making iron into steel, or improving the hardness of steel that was a little too soft. Grinders, lathes, a drill press, sanders, and even a pair of belt grinders were all parts of the equipment arranged in the working section of the forge. But it was the actual forge itself, along with the two quenching baths that were the important items. The first was an oil bath, and by dipping hot steel in it, the carbon contained in that steel would become an active part of the metal and make it much harder. The second bath was straight water that was used to rapidly cool the metal so that crystals weren't formed during natural cooling.

Rick had worked many long and hard hours to fold two pieces of steel together. The combination of a nice soft steel, and a good hard steel served to form a concoction known around the world as 'Damascus Steel'. Composed of many layers of the two metals, the result was a plate of metal that had obvious visual layers of both light and dark steel in it. That same steel also combined the best properties of both types of metal; the strength and flexibility of soft steel, and the stiffness of the harder steel. It wouldn't be as weak or brittle as hard steel alone, nor would it be as easily bent as a blade made of soft steel. Once honed, it would hold a razor edge that was second to none, and would have whorls and ripples in the metal that were both beautiful and dazzling to behold.

Rick used a pair of large tongs to hold the glowing blade up to examine it with a very critical eye. This blade was much wider than any other that he'd made, and it was thicker down the center ridge. After having worked with metal for so many years, he knew that he had to make it this way because of the modifications that he would make to it once it was cooled. He dipped the blank blade into the quenching bath, for a few seconds, before placing it on a work bench near his drill press. He left it there as he grabbed a fresh cup of coffee and stepped outside for a moment of fresh air.

The crisp early morning air of south-western Colorado was filled with the scent of pines along with various other trees. The early fall breeze already carried heraldic tang of the approaching winter, and the result was incredibly revitalizing. The sky was overcast with a thick layer of clouds that hung ominously low. Many of them seemed almost close enough to touch. Overall, it was a beautiful morning, Rick decided, as he sipped at his coffee.

Taking his eyes off the gray sky, he looked around at the numerous pieces of equipment and vehicles that were all in a horrible state of disrepair, and shook his head. He might have been able to forget about the massive hoard of junk if it weren't so close to the house and workshop. He'd been slowly cleaning the place up and getting rid of all the junk that the previous owner had collected over what just had to be an entire lifetime. After he'd bought the eighty three acres at an estate sale, he discovered exactly what he'd gotten into. This wasn't just a mess; it was a total disaster area. Rick was almost certain that if the Center for Disease Control ever saw this place that they would have it quarantined faster than he could open his mouth to protest. It had taken almost two whole years, but people in the area had finally realized that he was not, nor would he ever be involved in junk. He didn't want their old broken down tractors and farm equipment, nor did he have any parts that he would sell them. Still, he'd gotten an incredible deal on the piece of property simply because the family wanted nothing to do with the truly monstrous headache of trying to clean the place up.

There were a few redeeming qualities about the property though; one was that it was very secluded, and Rick did enjoy his privacy. That privacy was necessary for those rare occasions when he had to work through the night to meet a deadline for a set. Banging on a chunk of steel with a sledgehammer at two in the morning usually didn't sit too well with any neighbors. Another quality that the property featured was both a fairly large house, and several fully equipped workshops. There were quite a few acres that were blanketed by woods which were filled with all sorts of native wildlife, and it was both pleasant and relaxing to hear the calls of various birds in the mornings and evenings. The only offset to these wonderful qualities was that there was nearly twelve acres packed with junk of all kinds.

Cars, trucks, tractors, bulldozers, large farm machines, and lots of other heavy equipment that Rick didn't even recognize were packed and piled on top of one another. It was a literal nightmare. After checking into what it would take to get the stuff hauled off, he'd paid a mechanic to come out and remove the fuel tanks on many of the vehicles. Then he'd called a mobile crusher to come and remove them. In the end, there had been nine loads carried out by eighteen wheeled trucks and every one of them had been loaded with crushed vehicles. Even though he'd been paid by the pound for the crushed cars and trucks, it had barely covered the cost of having the mechanic remove the fuel tanks and other fluid containers from those vehicles. The worst part of the whole thing was that those nine truck loads hadn't even made a noticeable dent in the amount of junk on the property. It wasn't just a headache; it was a _pair_ of them!

Unable to ignore the huge mess outside, Ricky shook his head in disgust and reentered the shop. He set his now empty coffee mug on a rather large worktable, and stepped over to the blade that was now cool enough to be handled with his bare hands. The myriad whorls and ripples in the layers of smooth steel were truly beautiful to look at as they caught the light in what would become a blade, but what was essentially, for now, still a blank. Taking the blank over to the scroll saw, he began cutting extremely shallow 'V' shaped notches in it, so that it would seem to have a slightly serrated appearance. Next, he took the blade over to a large drill press, where he worked carefully to drill a pair of holes at the peak of each point so that a large oval shape had been cut out. This left a truly wicked and sinister looking series of curves and hooks to form the edges of the blade.

Ricky smiled in genuine satisfaction as he saw the end result of what the blade would look like. Even though there was still a ton of grinder work to be done on it, he could easily see that it would resemble a sword sized version of 'The Mystic Rose' by Gil Hibben. He knew beyond any doubt that this sword was going to be a master piece of beauty, and the only problem that he had, was that he had yet to come up with a single idea for the crossguard or pommel of the hilt. Oh, he already knew that he was going to use leather wrapped in braided wire for the actual grip on the hilt, but he had yet to decide on whether he was going to use Dragons, demons, or maybe even something else to decorate the hilt with.

Ricky took the blade back over to his worktable and locked it down in a horizontal position using a vice whose jaws were wrapped in leather so they wouldn't scratch or scuff whatever he was working on. As he turned to get an angle grinder with a polishing wheel on it, he was knocked to the floor of his shop by what felt like a huge earthquake. As distraught as he was by the fall and the shaking floor, Rick couldn't help but notice that the quake was accompanied by an incredibly huge noise. Everything had lasted only a mere instant, but it was more than enough to make the man wonder just what in the world had happened.

He climbed to his feet slowly and cautiously just incase there was any kind of aftershock or a repeat of what had just happened. When everything remained quiet for several seconds; Ricky mustered the courage to step outside for a look around. At first glance there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, but then, a closer look revealed that something had crashed somewhere in the huge mess of junk. He was quickly disabused of the thought that one of the stacked piles had simply fallen over, because the impact had been far too strong for something like that. The second idea that crossed his mind was that some type of aircraft must have crashed into the piled mess of junked vehicles. The only problem was that there was no smoke or anything to indicate exactly where.

Then, the sudden thought that if it _was_ some type of plane, that there might be survivors who would need help, spurred him into action as if his feet were on fire. He grabbed one of the numerous fire extinguishers that were scattered around his shop. Then the urgency of the situation had flooded his body with adrenalin, and he was running through the junk to find the source of the crash. Even though he was now running faster than he ever had in his life, Ricky was still pushing himself to move even faster. If there _were_ any survivors of a plane crash, then he would need to get them to a safe distance fast!

When he finally found the source a moment later, Ricky stumbled to a halt in stunned shock. His mouth fell open as he gaped in pure stupid disbelief at what he was seeing.

'_That's not a plane.'_ Was the only coherent thought that he could manage for several minutes, as he continued to stare stupidly at the obviously alien space craft.

It looked really small to be an actual space ship, because although he wasn't positive about it, he was still pretty sure that the space shuttle was bigger. It looked to be about thirty feet tall, and he figured that he was looking at the back of it because of the circular openings. At maybe sixty feet wide, it didn't take long at all to walk around to the left side of it as he headed towards the front of the strange craft. Upon reaching the front, Ricky kept staring in pure shocked amazement. The whole thing was so unreal. When he realized that it was only about one hundred feet long he shook his head in disbelief. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought that even the Space Shuttle was bigger than this, and that couldn't even go to the moon!

Ricky continued around towards the right side of the alien craft, and he saw what he was sure was some kind of damage. A large plate of metal was bent outward at an odd angle from the rest of the vessel, and he knew that the leading edge of it must have disturbed the aerodynamics and caused it to crash. Then he spotted the entry ramp. He was unable to restrain himself as pure curiosity led him inside.


	6. Chapter 6

Against All Odds 6

The interior was dark, and somewhat gloomy with high ceilings. Everything that he could see appeared to be made from some type of metallic alloy. He moved deeper into the alien ship, and saw what he thought _might_ be doors that were still closed, but he wasn't sure. After ten minutes of wandering slowly through the hallway of the vessel, he rounded a corner and froze at the sight before him.

There, pinned to the floor by what must have been a rack or shelf of some kind, was a rather hideous looking alien. The shelf or what ever it was, had fallen on top of the right side of the alien's body, and had knocked loose some kind of weird helmet looking thing that was obviously made of metal. The steady crackle of flames finally drew his attention away from the unearthly sight before him. Acting quickly, he unslung the CO2 fire extinguisher, and put it to use. The fires weren't all that large, but on a ship that had to hold its own oxygen supply, Ricky wasn't about to take any chances, because he certainly didn't want whatever kind of fuel the ship might have to explode.

Putting out the small but numerous fires only took a few short minutes. Once that was done, Rick turned his attention back to the alien who was rather obviously pinned. Now that he was fairly sure the ship's fuel wouldn't explode, he could take the time to get a good look at this alien, which was the only one he'd seen so far.

The first thing that caught his attention about the alien was the mouth of the creature. There was what looked like a set of four tusks or very large fangs that originated from each corner or the alien's mouth and angled in to cross in the center. The next thing Rick noticed about the alien's face were the deep set and very striking green eyes that were positioned beneath a very heavy brow that angled towards the back of the head so that the forehead seemed to take up most of the creature's head. Realizing that he couldn't tell any more about the alien because of what ever had it pinned, Rick decided to see if he could free the creature.

His attempt to lift the rack or what ever it was proved to be futile and he knew that there were plenty of tools that could get the job done which were still in one of the several shops that had been built by the now deceased previous owner.

"I'll be back in a minute to get you out of there!" Rick said to the alien as he quickly made his way out of the ship. He had no idea whether or not the being had even understood him, but better safe than sorry.

Thwei-guan emerged from unconsciousness to the strange sounds of something moving around in her ship. Looking to her right where the sounds were coming from, she was horrified to see what she knew had to be an ooman there. She stared blearily up at the ooman in silence because she still wasn't coherent enough to speak. She did hear the ooman say something before it left, but she wasn't able to think clearly enough to understand the words.

After the ooman had left, Thwei-guan tried to recall why she was on the floor of her ship, and experiencing as much pain as she was. She remembered fixing the corroded connection and turning to head back to the control room, before it had seemed like everything had exploded. She knew that her mask had been knocked off, and that she was pinned by the fallen rack of tools, that had obviously been knocked loose by some kind of impact. Her left arm was the source of the intense pain that she felt, and because of the size of the rack, her right arm was also pinned by the thrice blasted thing, so she couldn't move it to free herself. Without her mask, she wouldn't be able to target anything with her plasma caster that should be mounted on her shoulder, and since her right arm was pinned beneath the rack that was on top of her, she was completely helpless for whatever this ooman had in mind.

When the ooman returned a short while later, it was rolling some kind of object behind it, which was apparently too heavy for the ooman to carry. She watched in silence as the ooman maneuvered the object beneath the fallen rack that had her pinned.

"Just hang tight! I'll have you free in a jiffy."

Thwei-guan swore that she must have hit her head on something. Because while she understood most of the words, the way they were used, was _completely_ baffling to her. _'How can I hang tight, and what am I supposed to hang from? What's a jiffy?'_ She wondered as she tried to watch what the ooman was doing.

The ooman grabbed what appeared to be a handle of some kind and began moving it up and down in a smooth pumping motion. Each time the ooman pushed down, the rack lifted just a bit. Soon, it had been raised enough that she could get free. She had just used her feet to slide a fraction of a nok, when the ooman abandoned his lifting device and began to help pull her from beneath the pinning rack.

As soon as the ooman had helped her get free, Thwei-guan was looking down at her left arm to see what was wrong with it. Breath froze in her lungs as she stared at the bone sticking out of her arm just above her elbow.

"Oh crap."

The words had barely been whispered, but she heard them clearly, and she looked over at the ooman to see that even standing up, he wasn't much taller than she was while sitting down. She was surprised at just how _small_ the ooman was. Then she noticed that the ooman was staring at her injured arm. She looked down at her arm, and saw that quite a lot of blood had spilled out of the wound. The white heat of her blood as it came straight out of her arm slowly faded through the thermal spectrum until it was a dark red on the back of her hand.

"Oh god! You need a doctor! That's… that's bad!"

"What is dock-tar?" She wondered, not realizing that she'd spoken out loud.

"Uh… you know… a medic… a doctor… someone who can fix your arm!"

"Oh… a healer. Don't need healer. Need… that!" Thwei-guan replied pointing at her healing kit when she realized that she didn't know the ooman words for it.

When the ooman reluctantly handed her the medical kit, she opened it up and removed a rather large vial of healing serum. She knew that it would easily deal with her injury, but first, she'd have to get her mask, so she could see to set the bone.

Thwei-guan pointed at her mask. "You hand me awu'asa?" She asked not knowing the ooman word for mask. The ooman promptly placed the mask in her right hand, and she placed it on her head without sealing it. A single mental command and it switched the visual mode to show her the bones of her body. She knew right away that her arm would need to be stretched in order to set the bone properly, and that it would hurt. Removing the mask, she turned her attention back to the medical kit. She pulled out a vial of pain blocker, and tried to load it into the injector, but couldn't do it with only one hand. Suddenly the injector was taken off her right thigh by the ooman who was holding it out for her.

"Here. I'm not sure what you're trying to do, but I can at least hold something for you."

With the ooman holding the injector, Thwei-guan was easily able to insert the vial. Then she took it from the ooman's hands and injected herself. Within seconds, the pain was gone, and the ingredients that reduced the effects of shock were beginning to take hold as well. She knew that such was the case, because she was now able to think much more rationally.

Reaching beneath her shoulder armor, she tore away the restraining cloth that held her breasts in place, and pulled it out from beneath her mesh suit. Although her breasts were now bare to the cold metal of her armor, she couldn't have cared less. She grabbed her left hand, and moved it onto the edge of the fallen tool rack next to her. Then she took the remains of her breast halter, and tied her hand to the rack.

Thwei-guan's mandibles twitched in anticipation of mind numbing agony as she placed her mask back on her head. Then she braced her left foot against the rack and pushed slowly, but firmly while watching the bones in her arm. Using her right hand, she maneuvered the broken ends of the bone until they were correctly aligned before easing off the pressure on her arm. Only when it was done, and she could see that the bones were properly set did she start whimpering from the excruciating pain that couldn't be stopped by the pain blocker.

Thwei-guan tried to stop the shaking of her right hand so she could untie the cloth that was binding her left hand to the tool rack. She couldn't stop the soft whimpers of pain that escaped her dry throat, and she looked on in surprise when the ooman gently untied the cloth for her. Picking up the injector again, she tried to eject the spent vial, so she could insert the healing serum. Once again the ooman said nothing, but took the injector out of her grasp and held it for her. Because of her right hand shaking from the pain she still felt, Thwei-guan was barely able to switch out the vials. But instead of healing serum, she added another vial of pain blocker. After the second shot of pain blocking formula, she was able to take a deep pain free breath, and prepare the healing serum. She was again truly grateful for the ooman's help as he held the injector for her. Once she was ready, she motioned the ooman back a bit. Then, she jammed the needle of the injector deep into her left bicep and roared in renewed agony as the cells of her body were forced to multiply and divide thousands of times faster than they normally would. The process was incredibly painful and still hurt like a nightmare from Cetanu even after two entire vials of pain blocker.

Thwei-guan leaned against the wall, clenching her fist, while howling and whimpering in agony as the healing serum seemed to burn its way through her veins and body. Even with as much pain as she was currently in, she could only give thanks to the Gods that she wasn't as injured as she'd been after her Chiva, because she recalled all too well how many times she'd had to endure the sheer agony of the formula afterwards.

When he was finally able to take his hands away from his ears, Rick looked at the raggedly breathing alien in concern. He knew that alien had used some type of first aid that had hurt like hell. He couldn't help but sympathize with the alien, because what he had just seen it do had completely blown his mind. The alien had just set a compound fracture on it's own arm! He knew that there was no way he could _ever_ summon up the guts to even _try_ something like that on himself.

"Are you gonna be okay?" The ooman asked in obvious concern.

"Sei… yes. Will be good. I will heal soon." She answered a little breathlessly.

"Good! Is there anyone else on board who might need help?"

Thwei-guan was immediately suspicious. She knew from everything she had learned in her ship's computer that many oomans were devious, cunning, and seldom honorable when it came to dealing with Yautja. It was something that set her on edge, and made her more than a little nervous. She had no idea what this ooman might have planned, but she certainly didn't want to end up in the claws of an ooman government that might torture and interrogate her without mercy or compassion. Then she was _very_ glad that this ooman had handed her mask back to her. At least she now had a functioning plasma caster that she could use to defend herself.

"Well if there isn't anyone else on this ship, then we need to get you out of here pretty quick in case this thing decides to explode. Plus, I'm pretty sure the sound of the crash was heard for a couple of miles, so the Sheriff will probably show up to investigate. I'll need to think up some kind of excuse to tell him so he doesn't do a whole lot of snooping around. If he finds this ship we'll _both_ end up in some locked room that no one will ever find." Ricky said quickly as he suddenly realized what was likely to happen.

Thwei-guan felt her blood run cold when she realized that the ooman was telling her the truth. She could smell the tension and apprehension in him that bordered on fear. She braced herself against the wall and slowly forced her body into a standing position. She looked down at the ooman male and was more than a bit surprised by just how _small_ the ooman really was! The ooman couldn't have topped five and a half nok in height, and from what she'd read, the ooman females were supposedly even smaller!

Ricky offered to let the alien lean some of her weight on him, but she quickly declined. He led the way out of the ship, and watched the alien closely as she picked her way through the junked vehicles. The weird thing was that he couldn't help but notice how well the alien was moving. He was sure that there would be _some_ signs of shock setting in as bad as the arm had been… but there was nothing; nothing he could discern anyway.

Once he reached the exit to the massive pile of junked vehicles and equipment, Ricky turned to the alien following him. "Just wait here for a second. I want to make sure the coast is clear."

'_Coast? How there be a coast nearby when I know that I don't hear or even smell an ocean? Why would it need to be clear?'_ Thwei-guan wondered in confusion.

With no one in sight, and no vehicles approaching his property, Ricky motioned for the alien to follow him. He led the alien straight to the house, because not only would there be some level of comfort available while he figured things out, but he could at least _offer_ some hospitality, plus it would give the alien a place to hide, if and when, the authorities did show up.

Once inside the house, Rick gestured to the couch, and invited the alien to have a seat.


End file.
